Do you know the moment, when you are waiting for your name to be called in a room filled with people such as president Paul Kagame and Strive Masiyiwa, and your heart is beating so fast against your rib cage? All that your mind can remember to tell your legs is, ‘please don’t trip and remember to smile.’ Those were my feelings this past July at the African Leadership School of Business as I stood in line, waiting for my name to be called as one of the first graduates of the School of Business.
My name is Lillian Secelela Madeje, a Graça Machel Scholar who participated and recently graduated in the inaugural Masters in Business Administration class of the African Leadership University. Let me take you back to where it all started and how I, a young female Tanzanian entrepreneur wound up in a prestigious institution being heralded as the “Harvard of Africa.”
In 2016, I had the opportunity of working with one of the Graça Machel Trust’s Network initiatives in Tanzania, Women Creating Wealth (WCW), where I played the role of Facilitator for the monthly engagements. The position opened me to a network of amazing women entrepreneurs making strides in Tanzania but also to a partial scholarship opportunity with the African Leadership School of Business (ALUSB). I had the privilege of learning about ALUSB before this and I knew that if chance permits, this is an institution that I would want to be affiliated with. So having the opportunity to apply and be selected to attend under the Graça Machel Trust Scholarship was a dream come true.
Being that I am an entrepreneur and have been running a three years business, the program was perfect for me as it provided me an opportunity to attend the week long intensives in Kigali, Rwanda, giving me time to attend to my growing company needs as the rest of the modules are online during the rest of the year. Besides the ease in logistics, the Leadership component and Doing Business in Africa modules were a great attraction to me as I wanted to position my company to operate across Africa. The program is as practical as it can get, as you have the opportunity to put into action what you learn in class into your business venture or organisation.
20 months into the programme, we had an opportunity to deep dive into African Business Leaders on areas of value, vision and virtue such as Mo Ibrahim, Bethlehem Alemu, Dr. Hawa Abdi and having in class interactions with powerhouses such as Donald Kaberuka, Acha Leke, Wendy Luhabe and so many others. My growth as a leader comes from such immersion but more so from my fellow colleagues whom I got to interact with day in and day out. From starting the program with one full time employee, non-existent internal controls and systems, I currently have four employees, have put better business controls and systems in place and my Capstone Project Niajiri Platform, which is part of the deliverable for an ALUSB student, has secured a pilot grant of $75,000 to work on employability skills for youth in Tanzania. Life as I know it has changed for the better, I am a child of Africa and I want to be part of the wave that brings about positive change and all this is thanks to Graça Machel Trust Scholarship for enabling me to be part of this auspicious program.
This experience gained me an extensive pan-African network of supporters and mentors that helped her grow as a leader. It helped validate me and my dreams. This was the first step towards making her dreams come true.
Lillian is a 2018 African Leadership School of Business Graduate, Managing Director at Ekihya and Niajiri Platform Founder. Learn more about the Graca Machel Scholarship programme here.
The Trust supports and mobilises civil society networks on issues of ending child marriage, ending violence against children, ending female genital mutilation and promoting children’s rights, to carry out advocacy and action across Africa. Special focus is placed on Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia where child marriage continues to be a problem largely driven by poverty, gender inequality, harmful traditional practices, conflict, low levels of literacy, limited opportunities for girls and weak or non-existent protective and preventive legal frameworks.
Education is a fundamental right for all children, which is also a vehicle for social, economic and political transformation in communities, countries and the African continent at large. Recent studies indicate a lack of progress in some of the critical commitments aimed at improving education quality, access, retention and achievement, particularly for girls. In most African countries, girls may face barriers to learning, especially when they reach post-primary levels of education. By implementing multi-dimensional approaches to education which includes core education, personal development, life skills and economic competencies, the Trust partners with funding partners, governments, civil societies and the private sector to improve education access.
The Nutrition and Reproductive, Maternal, New-born, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition, (RMNCAH+N) of the Children’s Rights and Development Programme aims at promoting the Global Strategy for women, children and adolescents’ health within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) agenda. The strategy emphasises on the importance of effective country leadership as a common factor across countries making progress in improving the health of women, children and adolescents.
Through its Early Childhood Development (ECD) plan, The Trust will seek to put into action the new science and evidence Report that was presented by Lancet Series on Good and early development – the right of every child. This will be achieved by mobilising like-minded partners to contribute in the new science and evidence to reach all young children with ECD. The Trust’s goal is to be a catalyst for doing things differently, in particular, to rid fragmentation and lack of coordination across ECD sectors. In response to evidence showing the importance of political will in turning the tide against the current poor access and quality of ECD. Even before conception, starting with a mother’s health and social economic conditions, the early years of a child’s life form a fundamental foundation that determines whether a child will survive and thrive optimally.